mercedes-benz

As 2011 rolls to a close, we look back at the cars we've reviewed over the last year to see which one should earn our Tech Car of the Year Award.

This year's nominees come largely from the luxury market, where automakers are pushing their best cabin tech and most-advanced driver assistance features. Connected features are also starting to appear, with online search available in navigation systems. All of these vehicles use advanced engines, but the Volt pushes the boundaries the furthest.

Please vote for the car you think should be the 2011 Tech Car of the Year, and discuss it in the comments. The Car Tech staff jury will place its own votes, voting closes on December 19, and we will announce the winner on December 21. … Read more

These five cars have the best-sounding stereos we've tested all year.

To get good sound in a car, you used to have to visit an installer, who would rip out four tinny speakers and replace them with six-by-nines, a sub, and an amp. But now many automakers are partnering with known audio companies to put high-quality audio components in cars at the factory. These systems are designed specifically for each car by professional audio engineers. We picked out five cars with the best-sounding audio systems we heard this year. These systems produce the kind of sound that will have you driving around the block until your favorite song finishes playing.… Read more

Mercedes-Benz gives the new version of its SLK350 roadster an aggressive touch.

We had some disagreement on the Car Tech staff about Mercedes-Benz's new SLK350. Brian Cooley thought the engine was obnoxiously loud, while I liked its ferocious growl. I noted that it occasionally shifted too hard in city driving, but loved throwing it hard over twisty roads. Brian hated the peaky feeling of the engine.

The new SLK350 definitely looks and sounds more aggressive than the previous version. The retractable hard top makes for painless convertible driving, and Mercedes-Benz's AirScarf technology adds comfort.

Mercedes-Benz brings the full … Read more

At the Mercedes-Benz TecDay 2011 event in Germany, Mercedes revealed its concept infotainment system, @yourCommand, a voice- and gesture-controlled cloud-based system in the F 125 research vehicle. While that system is a few years away from being integrated into production vehicles, Mercedes also announced that in a few months it will begin selling a new infotainment option developed specifically for the iPhone.

Mercedes didn't provide much detail about the future infotainment system except to say that it will leverage the iPhone's processing power "to create a revolutionary user interface with fluent transitions and animation." The car maker also said that various iPhone information and functionality will be displayed on the in-dash display, and will be accessed using the COMAND controller. … Read more

FRANKFURT--Here's a riddle for luxury automakers: How will big, high-powered cars fit into a world that's greener, more congested, and more tightly regulated than today?

Mercedes-Benz rolled out one possible answer here last month with the F125 concept car.

The F125 checks off many of the boxes on automakers' future-think wish list: hydrogen fuel-cell power train, high-priced materials, computer-assisted driving, advanced telematics. So it's tempting to see it as a science project.

But if you listen to Thomas Weber, r&d chief for Mercedes' parent company Daimler, you realize that the F125 addresses a serious concern--the … Read more

On this week's show, OnStar decides not to be nosy, BMW's M5 makes some noise, and we get our truck on.

• OnStar reverses snooping policy

• BMW officially rebrands itself as Ultimate Poser Car

• M-B gets a 4-cyl in the U.S.

• Artist renders next-gen Toyota Supra concept

• Nissan building GT-R based 'Super Juke' (rumor)

FRANKFURT--Mercedes-Benz has developed a four-cylinder engine family that will power the upcoming A-, B- and C-class lineups in the United States.

Ranging from 1.6 to 2.0 liters, the turbocharged gasoline direct-injection engine could offer torque ranging from 185 to 260 pounds-feet, depending on displacement, said Bernard Heil, Daimler AG vice president of power train development.

With help from two fully variable camshaft phases, those torque figures could come on at as low as 1,250 rpm and run at full load up to 5,000 rpm without problems with cooling--impressive for a small-displacement gasoline engine, Heil said in … Read more

Automakers used to innovate slowly, but this year the race is on for integrating apps into the car, and it is moving at a whirlwind pace. Last year Ford kicked off this new era of car technology by integrating Pandora through its Sync AppLink system, and this year nine other automakers jumped on the bandwagon to some degree.

We were impressed to see both Toyota and GM, in the space of a single year, demonstrate and prepare to launch app integration in 2012 model year vehicles.

App integration means bringing services such as Pandora, Google search, and Twitter into the … Read more

FRANKFURT--Daimler AG is considering selling all five variants of the new Mercedes-Benz compact A and B class family in the United States, said CEO Dieter Zetsche. The first U.S. model will go on sale in 2013.

Mercedes-Benz unveiled the first member of the range--the next-generation B-class four-door--at the Frankfurt auto show and said that model will be sold in the United States. U.S. prices were not announced; in Germany, the four-door will cost 26,000 euros, or about $35,500, when it goes on sale this year.

The new platform also is being used for a B-class four-door … Read more